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JAPAN
Aug 2, 2011

Lay judges convict 99%; few shirk duty

Last year saw 8,673 citizens take part as lay judges, serving an average of 3.8 days, slightly longer than the 3.3 days in 2009, according to data recently released by the Supreme Court.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Aug 2, 2011

Once settled in, chances are you'll have to pay to stay

In 1946, Japan was in ruins. The housing shortage was severe and inflation was high, so the government issued a directive to freeze rental fees. To make up for the perceived loss of income, property owners came up with supplemental fees — renewal fees, called koshinryō, and "gift money" or reikin,...
EDITORIALS
Aug 1, 2011

Energy plan shakeup

The government in 2009 announced the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020 from the 1990 level. The assumption was that nuclear power would play a central role. In 2010, the government's basic energy plan called for increasing the nuclear contribution to 53 percent of total...
COMMENTARY
Aug 1, 2011

The rightwing terrorism threat

Three articles about Muslims ran in the same paper on the same day (The Independent, July 25):
EDITORIALS
Aug 1, 2011

Better legal training and services

Agovernment forum on nurturing law professionals — judges, public prosecutors and lawyers — has started discussions. It is scheduled to come up with proposals by the end of this month on the question of whether the scholarship system for trainees at the Supreme Court's Legal Training and Research...
Reader Mail
Jul 31, 2011

Update of released radiation due

Regarding the July 28 article "Threat to food chain grows as contamination spreads": In this article, and in a number of others, I have seen the following statement: "On June 6, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said the plant released about 770,000 terabecquerels of radioactive material into...
CULTURE / Books
Jul 31, 2011

Tantalizingly tangled dead-man mystery

THE DEVOTION OF SUSPECT X, by Keigo Higashino. Translated by Alexander O. Smith. Minotaur Books, 2011, 304 pp., $24.99 (hardcover) A jogger discovers a male corpse wrapped in blue tarpaulin on the Tokyo embankment of the Edogawa. Someone has stripped the man's body, beaten his face until unrecognizable,...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 31, 2011

Garden of the gods: Sekizo-ji's stone solitude is worth seeking out

Almost every garden of importance in Japan is located within or near a center of culture. The dry landscape garden at Sekizo-ji Temple is that rare exception: a highly original, influential design in a little-known rural district.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2011

Utility says NISA sought 'plants' to talk up MOX bid

Chubu Electric Power Co. said Friday it was asked by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency to set up supportive or neutral questions from the audience at a 2007 symposium about a plan to use a controversial fuel mix at the Hamaoka nuclear plant.
EDITORIALS
Jul 30, 2011

ARF makes a contribution

After the fireworks at last year's meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the big question at this year's get-together was whether the United States and China would again clash over the South China Sea.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 30, 2011

Saudi Arabia's anti-Shiite policy empowers Iran

The old saying "lonely is the head that wears the crown" has literally taken on new meaning for Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah. Not only has he watched close regional allies, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak and Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh, be toppled, but fellow crowned heads in Bahrain, Morocco, and Jordan...
SOCCER / J. League
Jul 30, 2011

Rafael says Ardija must keep poise despite home struggles

Omiya Ardija are yet to win a single game at their own Nack5 Stadium this season, but Brazilian striker Rafael is determined to find some home comfort as soon as possible.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 29, 2011

Sake sisters are brewing it for themselves

For most of its thousand-year history, sake has been a man's world. Even as recently as 30 years ago, women were forbidden to enter some breweries, but today's pioneering lady brewers and brewery heads are teaching the industry to embrace its feminine side.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 29, 2011

Toyota said opposing U.S. fuel-economy plan

Toyota Motor Corp. is objecting to a fuel-economy target of 54.5 miles per gallon (23.17 km per liter) by 2025, which competitors support, as the Obama administration seeks to reach a consensus among carmakers selling in the U.S., according to three sources.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 28, 2011

Japan's opportunity for global re-engagement

Few would doubt that Japan's economic relevance was already being questioned by some in the global community before the tragic events of March 11.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 28, 2011

Art Fair Tokyo shows off some of Japan's best talent

Welcome to the "art museum" where everything is on sale.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 28, 2011

Growing up with photography and picturing youth

You know how difficult it is to get good photos of children. They fidget. They cry. And just when you think you've got the perfect shot, they turn the other way. Now try to imagine how challenging it must have been for early photographers, who had to contend with exposure times of minutes rather than...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji